From A Distance
by Dark-Shines-666
Summary: it's around 300 years after Vampire knight is set. Vampires are now unheard of and considered a myth. Yumi is 15 years old, and born in Japan, although she now lives in New York. Who is this strangly unhuman guy who seems to follow her?
1. Just Watching

My name is Yumi Amore. I am 15 years old, and originally from Japan. I now live in New York, with my mother, Ema and my stepfather, James Conner.

My mother left Japan when I was only a year old, fleeing from my apparently violent father when she met James where she worked, a diner in Manhattan. James was a stock broker, though I'm still not entirely sure what that is. He was originally from Long Island, but came to live in the city . She bought an apartment with him, and we have been living there happily ever since.

I do have to say I like it there. I like the bustling city that never sleeps, the rush of energy in the morning, when everyone you see is holding paper coffee cups, and the constant traffic jams that countless people are weaving in and out of, trying to reach the other side of the pavement.

So there I was, the fourth of April 2008, and it's raining.

And I don't like rain.

I was walking home from my school, Manhattan girls High school, at 4 pm, trying helplessly to cover my head with my coat. Not that it was much help, my hair was already soaked. I was shivering from head to foot. I was running frantically, but then I tripped, face first into a large puddle. I groaned, and tried to get up, struggling, but a gentle hand held my shoulder and eased me to my feet slowly, and I found myself gazing into a pair of deep burgundy eyes. I started and jumped back, rain still spattering on my face.

"Are you alright?" The man's soft voice said. "You had quite a fall."

I managed to look at his face. It was perfect, as if it had been sculpted by someone with only the best idea of perfection. Dark hair framed his face, falling into his eyes.

"Hello?" He asked, concerned. I just realised I had been silent for a long time, gawping. I blushed furiously.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you very much, sir." I stuttered, and made to keep on walking, but his hand was still on my shoulder.

"Are you sure?" I turned my head to see his face, and nodded.

"Yes thank you." I said earnestly. He smiled slightly.

"Goodbye then." He said slowly, almost sadly. I nodded and walked quickly away from him, cursing inwardly for my stupidity.

When I finally made it to the apartment, I walked straight through the small living room and straight into my bedroom and collapsed on the bed. I reached for a towel and attempted to scrub my hair and face dry. I sat up and looked in the mirror.

My face was pale, as usual, but with a slight red flush in my cheeks. I tried to tame my long dark mousse brown hair into a ponytail, by attacking it with a hairbrush. I then studied my reflection in the mirror. I didn't have Japanese features like my mother, excluding my pale face. I had blue eyes, and my hair was wavy and mousse brown. This had often puzzled me. Whenever I asked who my real father was, my mother had snapped at me, so I thought it better not to ask. Suddenly I heard keys in the door and jumped up.

"Yumi? You there?" called my step father, James.

"Yeah, hey dad, how was your day?" I said as I ran out into the living room.

"Alright thanks. Some weather, huh?" He said, raising his eyebrows. I laughed and walked into the kitchen, to boil the kettle. I heard him sigh with relief as he sunk onto the sofa.

"So how was your day, anything out of the ordinary happen?" He said, rustling the newspaper. I blushed, instantly thinking about that man who had helped me up.

"Not really." I said, trying to change the subject "When's mom home?"

"Any minute now." He glanced at his watch. The conversation died away as I brought him his coffee. With a grunt of thanks he disappeared behind the newspaper.

I disappeared into my room in turn, hearing my Mom come into the door.

I was suddenly woken up next morning by my alarm clock, I groaned and rolled over, tempted to hit the snooze button, but I resisted. Whenever I did that I normally ended up late for school. I dressed into my school uniform: a white shirt, a red blazer and a red skirt. I quickly gathered my books into a satchel, and walked sleepily towards the kitchen, prepared toast and decided to eat it on the way. My mom and step dad were probably at work by now.

On my way to school, I couldn't help glancing at the spot where I met that man. His burgundy eyes swam in my memory, something I could not rid myself of. He stayed in my mind until I got into school.

The day dragged on. The only bright spot of the day was lunch, where I got to talk to my friends, Ellie (a tall girl with straight blonde hair) and Georgia (another tall girl with red curly hair and freckles). After lunch I had trigonometry- my worst subject, which I almost always fell asleep in. I reluctantly walked into the classroom, my heart sinking when I looked at the numbers and symbols on the blackboard. It was all Greek to me. I slumped on the desk and looked away when the teacher started his dull drone. I stared out of the window. The weather was better today. It was still cloudy, but not raining. Suddenly, a figure on the bench outside the school caught my eye. It was the man I saw yesterday! As I got a closer look at him I estimated his age. He looked about 17. He was very tall. He wore a loose fitted white shirt, black trousers and a black tie. As I stared, he turned his head slightly, and his eyes met mine, with a smirk on his face…

"Yumi!" Snapped my teacher. I jumped out of my skin.

"Yes, Mr Mathews!" I straightened up in my seat.

"Well, what's the answer?" He demanded. I felt my face redden. I stared blankly at him.

"The hypotenuse is 4.45cm." Hissed Georgia in my ear.

"The hypotenuse is 4.45cm." I repeated robotically to Mr Mathews. He nodded.

"Well… Err…very good. Now I wish you to complete these exercises on page…." I drifted off again, gazing through the window. I could swear I saw the guy laughing.

As I walked quickly out of the school gates, saying my goodbyes to my friends, that guy came into my sight as the bench he was sitting on emerged around the corner. He had been sitting there for at least an hour! He turned his head and stared at me. I turned red, and he showed no shame being caught staring. He didn't say anything, he just kept staring as I walked by. Who was he? And why did it seem like he was following me? Even though he was exceptionally good looking, he did scare me a bit.

**Hey, I'm not really sure whether I should carry this on, but I like the story.**

**I got it from a dream I had once.**

**You know what you guys should do? Please review!**


	2. The Pattern

It became a pattern from then on. Everyday for a week he sat on that bench and watched me. I increasingly became scared. His eyes seemed to look right through me. He hadn't talked to me, just stared at me. I hadn't told anyone about it, as it had felt strangely private, as if it was between him and me, but that was stupid. I didn't even know the guys name! I had to talk to him, to tell him to quit following me. How did he find out what school I go to? I decided to go, at 4pm on Saturday to the bench, to see whether he was there, and to ask him why he kept following me.

On Saturday morning I was strangely full of energy. My mom noticed immediately.

"Yumi, did you drink your dad's coffee?" She laughed as I skipped around the table. I grinned and ran out of the kitchen.

"Mom, can I go out this afternoon?" I asked from the living room. My mom stuck her head out of the kitchen door, her brown eyes looking at me suspiciously.

"Where?"

"Ellie's place." I said innocently. My mom brightened up immediately. She knew Ellie.

"Well, okay then, but be back before nine." She said, smiling. I grinned and muttered a thanks before running into my room and sitting on the bed. 4pm couldn't become fast enough.

I sat on the bench, slightly nervous. I wore a blue tartan skirt, a grey t shirt, and a black jacket. I shivered slightly because of the cold. I looked around nervously and put my earphones in my ear. I had brought my mp3 just in case I looked a little stupid sitting there doing nothing. The song 'butterflies and hurricanes' by Muse came on. I felt a little more relaxed at the familiar music. I was just beginning to get relaxed and I unintentionally closed my eyes. I gasped when I felt a tap on my shoulder. My eyes shot open and I pulled the earphones out of my ears.

"Don't!" I cried automatically. A really weird thing to say.

"Don't what?" Said that familiar voice. The man was standing up in front of me. I blushed again.

"I don't…know?" The man smiled.

"I was going to ask if I could sit down. Could I?" He said cautiously. I nodded. I moved up and he sat down, his long legs stretched in front of him. He took out a leather bound book and opened it.

"Umm…Excuse me sir, but I wanted to know why you seem to follow me and stare at me a lot?" I said nervously. He closed the book and turned his head towards me. I noticed how close his face was.

"I was only looking." He smirked and turned his head back.

"Well, it scares me, so please stop." I said, trying to sound strong, but I think it sounded like I was more scared. He turned his head back with a totally serious expression.

"Are you scared now?" He whispered, so softly that only I could have heard it. My heart started thudding violently, was he threatening me?

"Who are you!?" I shouted at him. He smiled.

"Forgive me. My name is Akane. Akane Kuran. " said Ryuu seriously.

"My name is Yumi." I nodded at him. It was only then I noticed his foreign accent. It sounded like my moms. "Are you foreign?"

"I have Japanese roots. I was raised in England." Suddenly my stomach made a growling noise. I'd forgotten that I skipped lunch.

"I guess I'm a little hungry." I mumbled "I'm going to get something to eat, goodbye Akane." I got up from the bench and ran off before he could say a word. I headed towards a fast food restaurant which was very busy. I made my way through the crowds of people eating their food.

"Fries and a coke please." I said at the counter.

"Okay…that will be three dollars please." Said the girl at the counter, not sparing a glance at me. I looked in my pockets for my purse. It wasn't there! I had left it at home!

"Three dollars?" Said the girl quizzically. I sighed and opened my mouth to tell her I had no money.

"Three dollars." Said a familiar voice, slamming down the money on the counter with his hand.

"Akane!" I gasped.

"Don't worry about it." He said sadly. Why was he sad?

Once the food had been delivered, I sat down on a table with the tray, Akane on the table across me. He watched me carefully as I ate, making me self conscious. I swallowed nervously and said "Thank you very much, but did you follow me?"

"Yes." He said shortly, seeming preoccupied. Another silence, when I took a drink of coke.

"Why?" I asked him tentatively.

"Because I wanted to…and you left this." Akane held out his hand. My mp3 was there! He dropped it into my outstretched hand.

"Thanks again, Akane." I said, smiling at him. His eyes still had that sad detached look in them. Another silence. "You don't talk much do you?" I said quietly.

"Forgive me, I was thinking." He said apologetically.

"Heh , I can tell." I said, annoyed. "Why are you targeting me anyway? We get warnings these days about people like you, and I'm sorry, but you don't seem to be familiar with the concept 'these days'!" I said in an angry outburst. Akane laughed.

"You could say that I guess. I'm not very modern." He said, after his laughter had died down.

"Why me, Akane?" I asked weakly, embarrassed by his obviously condescending attitude towards me.

"I can't answer that, Yumi." He said sadly. He stood up, and headed out of the restaurant, without a word, leaving me gawping after him. The door swung behind him, and I felt a small sinking feeling I didn't really understand.

I dreamt about him that night. The dream started off pretty nicely, me and Akane walking on a path lit by streetlights, surrounded by a forest. A fountain emerged out of the distance. We then sat together at the edge of the fountain, water lightly sprinkling our backs, our gazes locked.

"Run, Yumi." He had said calmly. I remember looking at him curiously, to happy to be concerned. "You have to run."

"What do you mean, Akane?" I asked urgently, but before he could get another word out he had disappeared. The once beautiful and serene night had turned dangerous and sinister. A child's voice echoed through the forest.

"_Scary." _It cried, sobbing. I looked around frantically, red eyed men and women were emerging out of the forest, baring glistening white fangs spattered with blood. I turned to run, but a strong hand pushed me into the fountain. I gasped and spluttered, trying to breath, but water flooded into my mouth, into my lungs. No, not water. _Blood._


	3. The lie

I woke up drenched in a cold sweat, shivering. I sat up in my bed and hugged my legs to my chest. That didn't feel like a normal dream.

Not at all.

_Scary_…a child's voice rang out in my head. Akane's face drifting to the surface of my mind. I shook my head. It was just a dream, even if it didn't feel normal. A nightmare.

I would go and see Akane again today. Maybe I would get more answers from him.

I tried to stand to my feet, but a strong wave of vertigo stole over me and I fell back on my bed. I put my head between my knees, trying to stop the room from spinning. My stomach churned ominously.

"Yumi? I think you should get up now, you've been sleeping for ages, its noon already!" My mom's voice shouted down from the kitchen. When I didn't answer, still trying to recover, I could hear her footsteps walking to my room. She knocked on the door.

"Are you okay, Yumi? I'm coming in!" And the door swung open. I lifted my head.

"I'm just feeling sick, mom. I'll be okay in a minute." I said weakly. She walked over to me, with a concerned expression on her face. She put her cold hand on my forehead.

"You're burning up, sweetheart. I think you have a fever."

"Ugh, I'm fine, it was just a morning thing," I said confidently, standing up ",see look, I'm great."

"If you're sure, Yumi. If you need anything, just ask, okay?" She flashed a smile at me. I nodded at her, and she gave me one last concerned look before she walked out of the room.

After I'd gotten dressed and had my breakfast, I decided to tackle the pile of homework which had piled threateningly on my desk. I reluctantly sat at my desk in my room, and gazed at the pointless sums and symbols of algebra. This was going to be a long few hours.

"Yumi? I'm going to get some groceries and bring something for your father. I'll be a few hours, okay?" My mom called as I heard her walking towards the door. I shouted a response and she left in a hurry, the door slamming shut behind her. I tried to concentrate on the paper in front of me. It was basically impossible, as I had a pounding headache since this morning. I sighed and put my pen down, it was no use, I needed some fresh air to clear my head. I jumped off the desk chair and grabbed my jacket, if I was lucky, I might get to see Akane.

Walking down the street between the mazes of buildings, I scanned the area for him. My heart sank when I saw the empty bench by my school. I slumped down on the bench, leaning my head back and closing my eyes to lessen the pain of my pounding head.

"Sleeping are we? Anything could happen if you stay like that, not everybody is as _nice _as I am." A voice suddenly sounded in my ear. I jumped up out of my comfortable position.

"Akane!" I screamed, out of fright, drawing strange glances from passing people. Akane sat at ease, chuckling quietly.

"I am sorry, you did look very comfortable. Did you have a nice sleep?" He asked in a concerned tone which made me unsure whether he was joking or not.

"I wasn't sleeping!" I said sheepishly. Akane nodded his head in a gesture that said 'sure, whatever'.

"Anyway, are you okay?" Said Akane in a serious voice. I gave him a stubborn frown.

"Just let me start my heart again." I muttered darkly. He gave me a small smile and stretched out his arm over the side of the bench.

"Sit down please. It would make me feel better." He requested quietly. I narrowed my eyes at him, but sat down, crossing my arms. After a long and awkward silence, Akane spoke again.

"Yumi, you weren't born in America, were you?"

"Umm…No, I was born in Japan, why?" I raised my eyebrows, and tried to scoot away from him on the bench, but his arm restricted me.

"You don't remember anything about being in Japan, do you?" Akane's voice was light and casual, but I could sense an importance behind his words. He ignored my question totally.

"No, I was one when I moved to New York with my Mom, why are you asking me this?" I said angrily. Akane turned his gaze from the road to me.

"Your mom. Huh." He ignored my question _again_!

"Answer me, Akane!" I insisted.

"You don't think it would be possible for me to talk to your mother, do you, Yumi? It would mean your questions will be answered." Said Akane thoughtfully. I gazed at him, dumbstruck.

"Maybe, but she might think-

"Perfect." Akane smiled, interrupting me "Let's go to your place then." I guess I had no choice.

Akane sat on the recliner in my living room, totally at ease. He looking slightly unreal in my tacky living room, with the cracked white leather sofa and yellowy white walls.

"My mom will be back in a minute, she's gone shopping." I said weakly, as he settled himself on the chair.

"Oh." He said casually.

"Would you like a drink, something to eat?" I offered.

"No thank you." Akane muttered. He seemed impatient all of a sudden. I shifted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable. Why did he want to come to my house? I had never had so many unanswered questions by the same person in my entire life.A key sounded at the door, and it swung open.

"Yumi, I'm home!" Cried my mom from behind the door, a few plastic bags preceding her entry.

"Mom, this is my friend called Akane. He said he wants to talk to you." I said happily, rushing to help her with the bags. As soon as mom saw Akane, she froze, an expression of anger and shock was on her face.

"Hello, Ema Amore." Akane's voice came from behind me. He was standing up and looked frightening. His aura was cold and sinister. I shrank back from him.

"To your room, Yumi." My mom said quietly.

"But mom, Akane is-

"YOUR ROOM!" She shouted. Without another word, I disappeared down the hallway to my room. I threw the door open and slipped inside, and sat with my ear pressed up against the door. Akane and my mother couldn't possibly know each other, could they? I listened hard.

"Why are you here?" I heard my mother hiss at Akane.

"I was let in by your _daughter_." Akane put an emphasis on these words. I heard my mother pacing around the room.

"She was always going to have a better life living here." Said my mom sadly. Hang on, this definitely sounded like Akane had something to do with my short time living in Japan.

"She never belonged with you. You had no right taking her from the place she was supposed to be, let alone going behind our backs and changing her from what she was meant to be." Spat Akane forcefully. What in the world were they talking about? Wasn't Ema actually my mother? I couldn't hear anything for a while, and I shuffled closer to the door.

"I will be taking her back to where she belongs. I have been searching for her since you took her away from us. You will be punished." Said Akane unemotionally. This was beginning to seriously scare me. Akane was clearly not just a stranger to me.

"Do what you must. I know I made no mistake in taking her away from the future she is now bound to." My mother whispered. I just caught her words. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards my door, and it swung open; I fell backwards. Akane's hand helped me up, like the first time I'd met him. His facial expression was stony and unresponsive.

"We will be going now. There is a car outside the apartment building for you, my friend Hakuba Aido will drive us to the airport." I looked around for my mom. I ignored what Akane had said and I pushed past him towards her.

"Mom! Aren't you coming with me!?" I shouted at her. She turned her lined face towards me.

"Go Yumi. I did what I could for you, but I couldn't protect you from your real life. Goodbye." She nodded at me, and turned her face away. I grabbed at her shoulder.

"Mom! Please listen to me! Who is he?" I screamed at her, trying to get her attention. To my despair, she ignored me. A hand was placed on my head, and I suddenly felt drowsy. I fell back on the floor and had one last glimpse of Akane turning to face my mom with a furious expression on his face before I drifted off into unconsciousness.

It felt like several hours later, but I opened my eyes to a blurry image grey, and what looked like a ceiling. I sat up quickly, clutched my head, seeing white dots in my vision. Looking around, I saw that I was on a reclined chair, along with many others. It looked like…I was on a first class bus or something like that, but I couldn't see the driver. Beside me, I saw Akane, and memories of what had happened before I fell asleep flooded into my mind.

_Hakuba Aido will drive us to the airport…_

That must mean….I looked out of the window beside me. Sure enough, a sprawling spiderweb of lights lay below us.

Where was I going!?

I looked at the man in the chair beside me. It was Akane, clearly asleep. It wasn't a time for courtesy. I leant over and roughly shook him. His eyes flew open, and he smiled at me.

"What a lovely awakening. " He said softly. I looked angrily at him.

"This isn't a time for jokes." I said, my teeth gritted.

"No, I was being serious." He said simply. He sat up and his hand reached for my face. I slapped it away.

"_Who are you, and what have you done with my mother?" _ I hissed quietly at him, seething with anger.

"My name is Akane Kuran and your mother is dead. As for the mother you have known as your real mother for most of your life, the same situation applies." He smiled sweetly. I gaped at him.

"You….killed…." I stuttered, trying to make sense of what he had said. He nodded. I was now truly scared of him.

"Will you kill me?" I said slowly. He laughed softly. My pulse quickened, was he _insane?_

"No, of course I won't. That would defeat the concept of me coming to find you and take you back."

"Take me back _where?_" I whispered. I felt faint.

"Home." Stated Akane.


	4. Unbelievable

The situation I was in was beyond scary now. It was dangerous. All the many times I'd heard about kids getting kidnapped on the news seemed like a horrific but very distant unreality. Now it was _my _reality. Akane was crazy, and I wished I'd said something to someone about him before it was too late. Ashamed as I was to say it; he had seemed just too _nice_. And something about him had made me not want to do anything that might upset him.

I couldn't believe I'd fallen for it. My mom was now probably dead, and when my step dad came home, he'd see me gone, and mom, dead. I actually _lead _him to our home. And for him, it was as easy as taking candy from a baby. Easier, actually. A baby might have at least put some tiny force to holding the candy. I turned my head towards the window so Akane wouldn't see me break. I had seem strong in front of the man who thought _he _could take me away from where I belonged.

"Yumi, are you alright?" Said Akane's voice gently, placing a hand on my back. I turned quickly.

"Get away from me, you freak!" I spat at him, fury echoing in my every syllable. There was shock and hurt in his eyes. I didn't see how he could be hurt. It wasn't his place to be hurt. He didn't honestly think for one second that I could possibly _care _if he was hurt or not?

The strange thing was, I didn't have any other spiteful comments to make to him.

But I should have! He killed my mom! And from what I remember, he also knocked me out. Whatever was going to happen to me would happen with me hating him. All the way through.

"You will not be hurt." Said Akane slowly and steadily, as if he were consoling a frightened animal.

"You killed my mom," I said slowly and angrily ", don't try to console me; there is nothing, _nothing _you could ever do to make me be anything but enemies with you."

"She was never your mother." Said Akane solemnly. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Why, Akane? Why did you kill her? And if she isn't my mother, who is? And how do you know all this?" I begged him to answer me, my strong angry personality cracking in an instant.

"Fine, I will." Akane sighed "You were born in Japan, right?"

"Yes." I replied, looking up at him, listening intently.

"You were born under the name 'Kuran'. Yumi Kuran, the most powerful pureblood vampire family. Your mother was killed by vampire hunters. Before she was killed she put you under the illusion that you were human. One of the vampire hunters saw you inside the Kuran mansion and took pity on you. She stole you and took you to America. The Kuran family have been searching for you since." Akane said this very quickly and irritably. I didn't process what he said right away.

"Vampires?" I said, stunned.

"Please don't ask me anymore." Akane turned his head towards me, and his face was pleading. I turned back on my seat and stared out of the window again. It was still a pitch black view. I was, to say, totally bewildered. Akane had dropped a bomb on me. I was a vampire? A powerful vampire? And my mom, I mean Ema, a vampire hunter?

I couldn't think about this now. I decided to ignore Akane's request for me to ask no more questions.

"When are we going to land?" I asked quietly.

"We have 2 hours; you slept for most of the flight." Akane replied. I nodded, and returned to looking out of the window, and it was then, I realise how hungry I was.

For an immeasurable amount of time I sat there, trying o resist the temptation of asking Akane if I could get something from the food cart. The meals had obviously been and gone. I decided to look around the plane. We were in first class, it seemed, because of the nice blue leather seats and the vast leg room we had. There were only 3 other people in this section apart from us; a blonde tall man sitting in the seats in front of us, his head bowed, and a couple at the very furthest possible distance away from us, both asleep. I checked my watch; We had half an hour before the plane landed. It was 11am. But then common reasoning caught up with my normal thinking; it obviously wasn't 11am in Japan. A voice crackled on the speakers. I sat up, ready to listen.

"We are now descending to Tokyo Narita Airport. It is now 12am in the morning here. Please notice the seatbelt sign indicated above your seat. We hope you have had a comfortable flight and intend to fly with us again." The captain's voice said. He began to repeat this in a different language, and I turned to Akane.

"What will we do when we land?"

"Aidou has left his car in the parking lot. We will then be driving for a while to reach our destination." He muttered, not really concentrating on what he was saying, it seemed.

"And the destination is…?" I asked hopefully.

"The Kuran Mansion." Akane answered, flashing a smile.

When we finally got off the plane, we came to luggage collection. The blonde man I had seen on the plane walked up to Akane, a brown briefcase in his hands. He wore a long brown trenchcoat. Although his hair was shut and curly and his eyes were an innocent blue, I immediately distrusted him.

'_Obviously some accomplice of Akane's_' I thought angrily. The man began to speak to Akane in rapid Japanese. I stood a little apart from them, debating to run for it or not. Just as I planned to run to the woman at the Bureau de Change counter and ask her to rescue, the blonde man turned his attention to me.

"Hello, Yumi sama. My name is Hakuba Aido. I will be driving you and Akane Kuran to the Kuran Mansion." He said in a friendly voice. He bowed to me. I briefly wondered what 'sama' meant, before Akane walked off to get his luggage and left me and Aido alone.

"So Yumi sama, did you have a nice flight?" Said Aido cheerfully.

'_Definitely too cheerful for a situation like this.'_ I thought angrily. I just nodded irritably at him.

"I would have talked to you earlier when we were driving to the airport, but you were asleep." Aido laughed. I noticed that he and Akane had the same sort of aura. They both had a very unapproachable and graceful sort of air, as if they were almost royalty. It made me more susceptible to believing Akane's story. He had told it so quickly, as if he'd known I wouldn't believe it. I shook it off, I'd worry about that later.

"Why are you driving Akane around?" I asked tentatively, hoping he would answer. Aido shrugged.

"As a favour to my good friend." He said graciously, smiling sweetly. He looked over his shoulder "There is Akane, I must go and drive the car to the front for you." Aido walked briskly to the sliding doors to exit the airport. Akane tapped my shoulder.

"Would you like to sit on the benches while Aido finds the car? It's a very big car park." Requested Akane. I looked nervously at the benches, I was afraid doing anything he wanted would almost be like…giving in.

"It's just sitting down, Yumi. I wasn't asking you to sign a contract." Said Akane impatiently. I shrugged in response and followed him to the bench. I guess I had no choice. We sat down on the hard blue plastic bench and Akane turned to me.

"You don't trust me at all, do you?" He whispered softly, so only I could hear it. My blood boiled with anger.

"Just put yourself in my position. Just try, okay?" I said with gritted teeth. He sighed.

"I suppose you are right. I haven't even shown you proof that the story I told you is real." Said Akane in an infuriatingly casual voice.

Before I could reply angrily, he looked up and said "Oh look, here comes Aido san." He smiled and waved towards Aido, who was approaching us. He sure was fast.

"The car is in front, Akane sama." Aido bowed, and gestured for us to follow him. What was this Aido guy? Akane's butler? We followed him out of the sliding doors of the airport and into the dim orange glow of the paved area outside the airport. I shivered in the cold and followed the two men quickly. A black car was parked directly in front of the airport (which I was sure wasn't legal). Akane held the door open for me, and helped me as I clambered reluctantly inside. This was going to be a long painful drive.


	5. The Kuran Mansion

I stretched painfully, feeling stiff from my uncomfortable sleep in the car. I looked out of the car window. It was tinted from the outside, but on the inside I could see everything. Just like a mafia car.

The skies were grey and cloudy, but it looked around midday, judging by the light and the many cars on the road. I turned my head very slightly across the car seat to Akane, who sat lazily with his legs crossed. I couldn't tell how long we had been driving. Heck, I didn't even know where we were going. Akane noticed me glance at him.

"We will be there shortly." He told me, smiling nicely. I sighed and looked away. I was scared now; I could not imagine the types of people Akane and Aido would be friends with.

"You don't have to be scared, Yumi sama. You'll meet your father, and the Mansion is really beautiful." Called Aido from the front of the car.

"Quiet, Hakuba san." Said Akane out of the corner of his mouth. That Aido man was definitely a chauffeur of sorts. I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat, this was certainly an awkward moment. I returned to looking out of the window, wishing I had my ipod with me. The landscape was turning harsher and wilder. We were driving through a forest, on a dirt road. The forest was bleak and cold. As the car drove in a snakelike fashion on the road, I began to worry what could happen to me. In this place, no one could hear me scream. It was obviously in the middle of nowhere. Before I could worry anymore, we took a turning in the road where the average amount of trees thinned. A large black gate emerged out of the distance, and out of nowhere, behind it was an extremely regal looking mansion, with a large drive in front of it.

"We are here, Yumi sama." Said Aidou happily.

"I gathered as much." I muttered bitterly under my breath. Akane chuckled. The car slowed to a stop, with the sound of gravel crackling underneath the wheels. Before I even made to open the car door, Aidou had gotten out of the drivers seat, sped around to my door, and opened it for me; just like a butler.

I stepped cautiously out of the car, and surveyed the impressive building darkly. It was beautiful and grand, although it had the same bleak air as the surrounding forest.

"Are you coming to the door, or shall I leave you here for a while?" Said Akane, smiling in an amused way. I gave a resigned nod and followed him and Aido to the large door. A woman wearing a very plain looking uniform greeted us at the door in rapid Japanese. Akane muttered back to her. I couldn't have been more confused.

When we entered the house, I very nearly gasped. The inside was worthy of a King. The huge entrance hall had two large staircases at the side, three chandeliers in the room, and everything inside the entrance hall looked very expensive. I felt like I was spending money just _standing _there. The walls were a shiny dark panelled wood, and the floor was carpeted in royal blue. A man in a tuxedo who looked like the actual butler began speaking to Akane in Japanese. I was totally lost in this language. After he had finished speaking to Akane, Akane turned to me.

"Father isn't here right now. He will be gone for several days." He said seriously. He talked like 'father' was his father too. If what he said was true, that I belonged in the Kuran mansion, and his surname was KURAN. I couldn't believe I hadn't spotted that earlier. But there was _still _no proof that he wasn't lying!

"If you say I belong in the Kuran Mansion, are you related to me?" I blurted out.

"What?" He asked, shooting me a quizzical look.

"I said 'Are you related to me?'" I said loudly. Well I felt like a brat, but I couldn't do him any favours. Akane just simply smiled which made me angrier.

"Would you like to go up to your new room?" He asked politely. I breathed evenly through my mouth. I would not get angry. I was scared of this guy, and he could do _anything_ to me. He looked strong enough. I nodded, keeping my face straight. Akane signalled to the maid who bowed to him and motioned for me to follow her. I followed her up the staircase without saying another word to Akane. At the top of the stairs, we turned right into a long corridor with many doors. The Maid stopped at the fourth door and smiled cheerily at me. Seeing as she spoke no English, I had no idea what to say to her. I smiled slightly back, and she curtsied and walked off.

Now I was alone in this weird place. Not that I desired _their _company. I carefully opened the door and walked slowly into the room, shutting the door behind me. The room was beautiful. The giant four poster bed was coated in blue silk dressings, and the furniture was all very classical. I checked my watch (I had already updated it to the Japanese time zone);it was 4 pm. I sat on the bed and tested it. It was comfortable. They knew how to keep a guest, I'd give at least that to whoever these 'Kurans' were. But was I really one of them? It was definitely a weird story to tell. A soft knock sounded at the door.

"Hello?" I said cautiously. The man named Aido walked in.

"Yumi sama, Akane sama wishes you to know dinner is at half past five. He also wishes you to dress nicely for it. There are clothes in the wardrobe over there," He pointed towards the rosewood wardrobe by the window ", I can send for a maid if you need help?" I sat there, slightly stunned.

"No, umm…I think I can cope…Thanks." I said awkwardly. Aido nodded his head happily.

"Sayonara, Yumi sama." He walked out of the room, waving his hand. I shook my head, being that happy just wasn't natural. I got up off the bed and went to investigate the wardrobe. When I opened it, I was shocked. There wasn't a single pair of jeans in there, and _everything _looked like it was from the 1700's. I rifled through the collection of different coloured dresses. I searched through them, wondering if he expected me to dress like I was an aristocrat everyday. I eventually fished out a dress that was a little less frilly than the others. It was navy blue and ended just before the ankles. The dress had short sleeves and looked like the plainest one there, but that was better compared to all these positively Elizabethan dresses. I luckily found some dark blue flats in the vast collection of shoes in the wardrobe too, most of which were again, Elizabethan. I closed the wardrobe door, satisfied with what I had found, and changed into the dress. I looked into the floor mirror and shook my hair out of its ponytail. It would have to do; appearance wasn't really top of my agenda. With 15 minutes left, I decided to look around the room. I walked over to the bedside table, bent down and opened one of the two draws. There was an assortment of different objects in the draw, including a tiny rectangle box with 2 small white pills in it, a red ribbon, and a metal bar with inscriptions on it. I would have inspected more, but another knock on the door interrupted me.

"Are you ready to come down to dinner, Yumi sama?" Said Aidou's voice from outside the door. I quickly closed the door.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." I called back, and walked towards the door and opened it to see his beaming face. He was wearing a slik waistcoat and pinstriped trousers. What was the deal with these fancy dinners? Did they dress like this all the time?

"You look very pretty, Yumi sama. I'm glad you found a dress to your liking." Said Aidou happily. Too happily.

"Thanks." I said listlessly. Aidou looked confused.

"Are you okay? Do you not like your room or something?"

"Guess again." I gave Aidou an angry look. A dawning look of comprehension lit his features.

"You will learn to like it here, no matter what has happened before." Aidou grinned cheesily. I shook my head sighing.

"Are we going to dinner, or what?"

"Yes, of course." He smiled again and held out his arm. I took it, feeling really old fashioned.

The dining room was the grandest place anywhere. This wouldn't look out of place in Buckingham Palace. The sparkling lights from all the glasses, plates, and yet another chandelier, lit up the place like city lights at night. The table was long, and Akane was sitting at the head of the table, looking regal and conceited. I rolled my eyes at his expression. The food on the table looked worthy of a top chef.

"What is with the big party? Do you do this everyday?" I asked bitterly. Akane laughed.

"No, of course not. We are just celebrating that you are here. Seeing as it is only you, me, and Aido in the house, excluding the staff of course, I decided to do this for you." He smiled graciously. What a creep.

"Thanks ever so much." I smiled sarcastically. I walked over to the chair on his right. Aido sat on his left.

"You look very beautiful by the way, Yumi." Said Akane softly. I ignored him and shifted slightly away from him on my chair. He chuckled and started to eat. Aido had already started. I toyed around with the food on my plate. In any ordinary circumstances I would have eaten eat (I loved steak), but I felt like they might have poisoned it or something. I ended up cutting the smallest square of food I possibly could and eating it. It did taste good, I couldn't deny that.

"Do you like it, Yumi sama?" Asked Aidou eagerly. I looked up from the plate and realised they were both watching me disconcertingly. I looked back at my plate, shifting the bits of food around.

"Sure." I replied shortly. I decided I'd better eat it; I'd be sorry for it later. I quickly ate as much of the food as I could bring myself to, and put my knife and fork together on the plate. Strange, I was expecting chopsticks or something. The maid came into the room and took up Akane's and Aidou's empty plates, and my plate (which still had a considerable amount of food on it). Aidou and Akane both had a wine glass of water in front of them, and strangely, they both took a small box out of their pockets (like the one I had seen in the drawer in the bedroom) and they both placed a small white pill from the boxes into the water. Both of the glasses of water turned red almost instantly, the clouds of red spreading through the water very quickly. Akane turned to me, swilling the liquid around in the wine glass.

"Do you like your room?" He asked pleasantly, placing his elbow on the table in a casual way.

"It's…Nice." I said smiling half heartedly. To my surprise and disdain, Akane placed his hand on mine and moved his head closer to me, a sympathetic expression on his face.

"Are you sad? Are you missing those people you used to live with?" He said softly. His long pale white fingers were stroking my hand, and this made me uncomfortable. I resolutely looked away from him.

"I am fine." I said stubbornly. I had never been one to cry, so it surprised me when I felt the sides of my eyes stinging. My last hope was that if I did cry, he might feel guilty for killing my mother. Heck, I didn't know who my mother _was _anymore. I snatched my hand away from his and stood up. Aidou looked shocked.

"Can I just go to the Bedroom?" I said, my teeth gritted.

"If you are feeling tired, of course." Said Akane solemnly, nodding his head. I quickly pushed my chair in and walked around the table, hearing Aidou shout 'Goodnight' before I closed the door.

When I had found my way to the room, I decided that I would go to bed, for having the excuse not to talk to anyone. I managed to find a very 'old grandmother' night dress in the wardrobe, which I decided to wear. It was light pink and again, frilly. I lay down in the extremely large bed, feeling tiny. I felt my eyelids droop automatically.

But I would not have a peaceful nights sleep.


End file.
